When Middlesbrough FC will decide whether to sack Michael Carrick revealed | OneFootball

Middlesbrough are weighing up whether to sack head coach Michael Carrick, with a final decision expected imminently.

Middlesbrough will reportedly make a final decision on the future of head coach Michael Carrick over the next week.

That's according to Football Insider, who claim that Middlesbrough chiefs are currently weighing up whether to part company with Carrick, with his job believed to be under "major threat" after a poor second half of the season.

Boro looked on course to achieve a play-off finish when they sat as high as fifth in the table in late January, but a significant decline in form saw them finish the season in an underwhelming 10th place, with a 2-0 defeat at Coventry City on the final day ending their top six hopes.

Since the season came to an end, Boro owner Steve Gibson and the rest of the board have been conducting a thorough internal review of the events of the campaign, but after taking their time to assess the situation, it appears they are now set to come to a final conclusion on Carrick's position.

Michael Carrick facing threat of Middlesbrough sack as final decision looms

Speculation about Carrick's future at Middlesbrough first emerged in February after a four-game losing run when it was claimed that Gibson was considering ex-Nottingham Forest and Leicester City boss Steve Cooper as a potential replacement, but he remained loyal to the 43-year-old on that occasion.

Gibson's backing did inspire an initial upturn in form as Boro reignited their play-off challenge, but a run of just one win in their final six games saw the Teesside outfit miss out on the top six, and their 10th-placed finish was the lowest during Carrick's near three-year reign.

Speaking after the 2-0 defeat at Coventry on the final day, Carrick insisted he would be remaining in charge at the Riverside Stadium next season, telling Teesside Live: "Yeah [I expect to be in charge next season]. I’m carrying on. I think we’ve got a good squad, and my focus is on carrying on. I’ll be speaking to the boys moving forward, to get ready for what will hopefully be a good season. I think we’ve got a good squad, good stability within the group.

"We’re doing a lot of good things, and if we can add to that and improve, things can look up from there. We now go away, assess the squad, look at how we can help the boys improve things and overcome this disappointment. We use it for motivation. That’s the only way I know."

However, Carrick's comments have done little to dampen the rumours about his position, and journalist Alan Nixon claimed last month that former Luton Town manager Rob Edwards, who was first linked with the club in 2022, and Millwall boss Alex Neil could both be in the frame to take over at Boro if Gibson decides to make a change.

Having signed a new three-year deal last June, Carrick is under contract until the summer of 2027, but his time at the club could now be coming to an end, with a decision on his future thought to be "imminent".

Steve Gibson may be forced to make tough Michael Carrick call

After taking over at Middlesbrough in October 2022, Carrick made an outstanding impact as he led the club to the play-offs in his first year in charge, but his side have arguably regressed since then, finishing eighth and 10th respectively in the last two seasons.

Boro won just eight of their final 25 games of last season as they missed out on the top six, with plenty of uninspiring performances along the way, and the atmosphere at the Riverside Stadium became increasingly frustrated over the course of the campaign as supporters began to lose patience with Carrick.

Gibson has remained incredibly loyal to Carrick over the past two seasons during some difficult runs of form, which should be admired in a world where owners often rush into knee-jerk decisions, but there are big question marks over whether Carrick is the right man to guide the club to promotion next season, and he may need to reluctantly make a change this summer.